The Bully
by King12345
Summary: Not too bad its bout a bully in tobias's school that really bothers him until he finds out what tobias is......its not what you expect....its better!


*Crash!*   
  
Tobias backed warily away from the taller boy who had just hit his  
  
tray out of his hands.   
  
"Watch where you're going, retard."   
  
Tobias said nothing, which annoyed the older boy. He reached a large  
  
hand out to grab Tobias' shirt and his eyes widened when the smaller  
  
boy easily ducked away, glaring fiercely at him.   
  
'Punk's either gotten braver or stupider since we last tangled.'   
  
Tobias stood quietly, obviously waiting for the bully to tire of his  
  
game and go home.   
  
Michael was aware that he was attracting attention - the adult kind -  
  
and he cursed under his breath. "I'll get you later, retard."   
  
There was no change in the younger boy's expression, but his gaze  
  
seemed to intensify, as if he was looking right through him.   
  
Michael shivered, then turned away. He froze for a split second.   
  
Approaching were five, very determined looking kids. He recognized  
  
most of them from school. Jake led the way, a faint frown creasing  
  
his brow as he strode across the food court towards him. Marco  
  
followed, a smaller shadow. He murmured something that caused a brief  
  
smile to cross their faces.   
  
Cassie walked behind the two boys, a worried expression on her face.   
  
She had one hand on Rachel's arm. Michael swallowed convulsively at  
  
the look in Rachel's eyes. She was definitely not amused.   
  
The fifth kid was some boy Michael had never seen before, but as he  
  
stared into the odd colored eyes, he saw something that frightened him  
  
even more than Rachel's wrath did.   
  
Cutting to the right, he raced out of the food court. He preferred  
  
victims that he could   
  
overpower. 'Five to one. I don't like the odds.'   
  
***   
  
The group reached Tobias who was picking up the dropped items. Cassie  
  
crouched down to help him. Irritably, Tobias threw away the now empty  
  
cups and swiped at the spill with the napkins someone handed him.   
  
"Sorry."   
  
"Why are you sorry?" Ax asked, puzzled by the strange admission of  
  
guilt. "You were not the one at fault here."   
  
Rachel chimed in. "Yeah, it was that goon who should apologize."   
  
"Who was that, anyway?" Cassie looked in the direction the boy had  
  
left.   
  
Tobias sighed, an unhappy sound. "Michael. He and I've had ... some  
  
run-ins before."   
  
Ax watched in fascination as Tobias' cheeks flushed an angry red. Ax  
  
gently laid a hand on Tobias' shoulder. "Why do you hate him so  
  
much?"   
  
Tobias blinked in surprise, looking vaguely owlish rather than the  
  
hawk he truly was.   
  
"Hate? Yeah, I guess I do hate him. It's hard to like someone who  
  
picked on me all the time."   
  
They finished cleaning up before leaving, no one particularly hungry  
  
anymore.   
  
They boarded the bus before continuing the conversation. "Dude,  
  
what'd he do?" Marco leaned over the back of his seat to face Tobias,  
  
his eyes alight with interest.   
  
Rachel gave him a scathing glare. Cassie shook her head, a  
  
disappointed sigh escaping. Tobias merely rolled his eyes. "Take  
  
every prank you've ever heard of and chances are Michael pulled it on  
  
me."   
  
Ax looked puzzled. "What are pranks? Pah, pranks. Rrrrranks.   
  
Pranks?"   
  
"It's when you pull a joke on someone," Marco supplied.   
  
"But they're almost never funny to the one it's pulled on." Tobias  
  
crossed his arms and stared steadily out the window.   
  
Rachel lightly touched his arm, regaining his attention. "You're  
  
right. They aren't."   
  
"If they aren't funny, then why are they considered jokes." Ax  
  
blinked, still puzzled.   
  
Tobias gave him a wane smile. "Oh, they're funny, just as long as  
  
you're no the poor guy who goes through it. It depends on your point  
  
of view."   
  
Ax nodded, he understood about different points of view.   
  
Jake finally joined the conversation. "What'd you do to him?"   
  
Tobias shrugged. "I was 'new kid on campus'. He decided I'd make a  
  
good target."   
  
Softly, so softly that had Ax not been listening closely he would have  
  
missed it, Tobias whispered. "He was right."   
  
Jake shook his head. "No, I mean today. He looked kind of spooked  
  
even before he   
  
caught Rachel trying to burn him with her eyes." They grinned at her  
  
as she made a face.   
  
Tobias shrugged. "I didn't do anything. I was just hoping he'd go  
  
away."   
  
Cassie leaned over from across the aisle. "What'd you normally do  
  
when you saw him?"   
  
If possible, Tobias blushed a deeper crimson. "Usually turned tail  
  
and ran." He gave a shaky laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Coach  
  
saw me once and suggested I join the track team." He shrugged  
  
uncomfortably.   
  
A gleam entered Cassie's eyes. "Why'd you run?"   
  
Tobias stared at his clenched fists. "I was scared of him. He was  
  
always beating me up. My uncle either never noticed, or worse, didn't  
  
care and I didn't have any friends at school to turn to."   
  
Cassie laid a gentle hand over his own. "Why didn't you run today?"   
  
The question hung in the air for a moment. "Were you scared of him?"   
  
Tobias blinked, the blush fading. "No," he replied slowly. "No, he  
  
felt more like an   
  
annoyance rather than a real threat."   
  
She nodded. "And you aren't alone anymore, are you?"   
  
Tobias gave the first genuine smile since the incident occurred as he  
  
looked his friends in the eye. "No, I'm not."   
  
***   
  
Michael had finally tracked Tobias down, it hadn't been easy. He  
  
didn't know where the younger boy lived and didn't want any adults  
  
getting suspicious, so he didn't ask. What he did was spend a lot of  
  
time at the mall, in the hopes that he'd see the kid again, then he  
  
followed him over to Cassie's house.   
  
Something had changed, Tobias carried himself so much differently than  
  
he used to, he seemed more confident, more sure of himself. Michael  
  
didn't like it, and what he didn't like he tried to destroy - reduce  
  
it until he was bigger than it.   
  
'Little snot thinks he's better than me. I'll show him.' He settled  
  
back against a tree,   
  
waiting until he could have a little one on one "talk" with Tobias.   
  
***   
  
Tobias was lounging around in the barn. The others were struggling  
  
with homework. Ax was playing with some of the animals that were  
  
almost well enough to be released.   
  
Tobias perched up in the rafters, his excellent hearing and eyesight  
  
ensuring that no one could sneak up on them. Occasionally, he helped  
  
the others with a homework problem. You forgot to carry the one,  
  
Cass.   
  
"Thanks, Tobias."   
  
Marco looked up, mystified. "Hey, how come Bird-boy know this stuff  
  
so good when he doesn't even go to school anymore?"   
  
Tobias sounded smug. Ax's been tutoring me.   
  
Marco frowned, then a smile lit his face. "Hey, if Ax-man tutors me,  
  
can I quit going to school?"   
  
Jake gave a snort. "Somehow, I don't think you'd be able to explain  
  
to your dad why you quit school."   
  
"Yeah, you're right. He wouldn't agree that a large blue alien would  
  
be a good influence on me." Ax looked puzzled while the others  
  
laughed.   
  
Tobias interrupted, We've got company, guys.   
  
Books closed and pencils were dropped as everyone got to their feet.   
  
"Who is it?" Jake asked.   
  
There was a mental sigh of resignation. It's Michael.   
  
Rachel narrowed her eyes. "I say we pound the creep. He's got no  
  
business here."   
  
Marco snorted. "Yeah, why not just walk down to the police station  
  
and turn ourselves in? Cause if we all gang up on him, that's where  
  
we'll end up."   
  
Marco had a point, though she'd rather not admit it. "So what do we  
  
do, let him follow us around like a starving wolf? He doesn't belong  
  
here."   
  
Cassie broke in, her face creased in consternation. "Uh, guys.   
  
Technically, he's not   
  
trespassing." Everyone turned to stare at her and she gave a shrug of  
  
apology. "I mean, we don't normally get visitors up here, but every  
  
now and then someone gets interested and ends up getting a guided  
  
tour."   
  
"I'll give him a guided tour," Rachel muttered. "Guide him right over  
  
a cliff."   
  
Jake put a restraining hand on her arm. "He hasn't done anything yet.   
  
We can't just go after everyone who _might_ be a threat. We should  
  
wait and see what he does. Okay?"   
  
"Prince Jake, I believe that the situation is no longer in your  
  
hands," Ax stated.   
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
Ax pointed out the barn door at Tobias' retreating form.   
  
While they had been discussing the "problem," no one noticed Tobias  
  
silently glide to the floor and begin morphing into a human. He  
  
pulled on the jeans and T-shirt that Rachel had thoughtfully supplied  
  
and padded barefoot out of the barn and towards the small grove of  
  
trees where Michael was hiding.   
  
Jake started to go after him, but Ax stopped him, his eyes serious.   
  
"No, Prince Jake. Tobias must do this for himself."   
  
***   
  
Tobias walked steadily forward. He took a deep breath to calm himself  
  
when what he wanted to do was swoop down upon his hunter and give  
  
Michael a taste of his own medicine.   
  
He was dimly aware of his friends eyes upon him and was grateful that  
  
they were not   
  
following.   
  
***   
  
Michael saw Tobias approach and he chuckled to himself. 'I'll show  
  
him who's in charge.'   
  
As Tobias passed the tree, Michael reached around it, grabbed his  
  
shoulder and spun him about, pushing him up against a tree trunk.   
  
"Gotcha now, punk."   
  
He stared into Tobias' eyes, eager to see the fear, but all he saw was  
  
anger and annoyance. "I'm gonna pound you!" he blustered.   
  
Amusement entered the younger boy's eyes, though his expression never  
  
changed from a look of studied indifference.   
  
"What's so funny?"   
  
"You! Who do you think you are? Andre the Giant?" Michael was taken  
  
back by Tobias' response.   
  
Michael leaned closer and sneered. "I'm your worst nightmare."   
  
A short bark of bitter laughter backed him up. "Sorry Michael, but  
  
you don't even come close to what's in my nightmares."   
  
Michael felt his face flush with anger and a fist balled up in  
  
response. "You won't talk so smart when I knock your teeth in."   
  
Tobias drew himself up, his eyes once again staring at him with the  
  
intensity of a laser. "Yeah, you could beat me up. Probably hurt me  
  
real bad, too. Not much I can do about that, you're bigger and  
  
stronger than me." The younger boy leaned forward slightly,  
  
maintaining eye contact. "But you don't scare me anymore, Michael,  
  
and I'd appreciate it if you left me alone, but if not, I'll find a  
  
way to deal with it." Without another word, Tobias stepped around  
  
Michael and padded soundlessly back to the barn.   
  
Michael turned to watch, feeling a bit of grudging admiration. 'He's  
  
got guts.' No longer willing to mess with Tobias, he headed home.   
  
***   
  
Tobias reentered the barn and came face-to-face with the others.   
  
"Everything okay,   
  
Tobias?" Jake asked.   
  
Tobias nodded, giving a small smile. "If nothing else, I've given him  
  
something to think about."   
  
Ax stepped forward, "He is finished tormenting you?"   
  
"Yeah, I think he is."   
  
Marco slung an arm across Tobias' shoulders. "And if not, he's got to  
  
get through Rachel here first."   
  
They laughed and Tobias' smile grew a bit wider. Rachel nodded though  
  
she rolled her eyes a bit.   
  
***   
  
Later, in the meadow that Ax and Tobias called home, Ax turned to his  
  
friend. Do you still hate Michael?   
  
Tobias looked startled, or as startled as a red-tailed hawk could  
  
look. No. Not really.   
  
What made you change your mind?   
  
Well, Hating Michael was a waste of energy. He can't really hurt me,  
  
especially since I don't go to school anymore. There was a pause.   
  
I guess ... the Yeerks are so much worse than Michael ever was, that  
  
he doesn't scare me anymore, so why hate him? Another pause. Does  
  
that make sense?   
  
Ax stared intently at his friend, then nodded, a gesture he had picked  
  
up from the other humans. Yes, it makes sense.   
  
The two shared a moment of complete understanding, then settled down  
  
for the night.   
  
  
  
- The End - 


End file.
